Raising Someone Else’s Children

I’m one of those old fashioned people. I believe in raising your own kids. Now, I don’t care if it’s the mom or the dad…or some kind of mixture of the two. Do what works for your family. But if you can’t admit that having someone else—no matter...

Everybody’s Business

Right up front let me say I hate homeowner’s associations (HOAs). They do far more harm than good and create the perfect breeding ground for really lousy neighbors. I had never heard of HOAs until we bought our first house in Boca Raton, Florida, in 1993. Fresh...

Future Steel Buildings

Utah is an earthquake prone zone. In fact, my house is pretty much sitting smack dab on the Wasatch Fault. Perhaps it’s not the brightest place to build a home, but given the multiple hurricanes that threaten Florida’s Gold Coast every year, I figure no...

The Eternal Question

My husband was working late, and I was the sole grown-up leading scripture-reading time with the kids. As we are finishing up, Grasshopper (7 years old) asks, “Mom, how do I know that the Church is true? I mean, how do I know that some other church isn’t...

Soft Industrial Style

One of my favorite decor looks is a softened industrial style. While I’m not into sharp lines and stark rooms, I love a touch of toughness in a room. Like the blue jeans I wore in high school with ruffly, silk blouses, having a warm, inviting comfortable room...

Alternative Storage Uses for Spice Racks

So, you’ve got a fabulous spice rack in your kitchen. But did you ever think of alternate uses for the clever, stylish inventions? Home Office Storage A wall spice rack is perfect for convenient storage for small office supplies. Use them to keep tacks, paper...

Hurricane Season is Coming

Living in South Florida for ten years, we soon became acclimated (no pun intended) to the wild weather. The first week we lived there, we had a torrential downpour that dumped 12 inches of rain in 24 hours. In Utah, where I grew up, average rainfall is 16 inches…per...

Self Pity

Mom’s wisdom: Don’t waste your time feeling sorry for yourself. Don’t belittle yourself. Never forget that you are a child of God. You have a divine birthright. Something of the very nature of God is within you. The Psalmist sang, “I have said,...